“compostable” products & bioplastics

This is the most misleading aisle in the store. A 'compostable' cup, bag, or fork is usually certified for industrial composting — sustained weeks above 130°F in a managed facility — and will sit nearly unchanged in a backyard pile for years. Worse, many curbside programs now reject bioplastics entirely because they contaminate finished compost. So almost every verdict in this category is a caveat with the same shape: fine if your municipal program explicitly accepts it, not fine at home, and never in the recycling bin. The exceptions — molded fiber, bagasse, palm leaf — are genuinely home-compostable and worth knowing. Check the item, then check your local program's rules.